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On Thursday, 11 January, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa and the Latvian parliamentary delegation and thanked the people of Latvia for their tireless support. Members of the Saeima confirmed that Ukraine can continue to count on us and thanked the Ukrainians for their struggle not only for their own freedom, but also for that of our country and the entire world.
“Support to Ukraine is the absolute security priority of our country, the Saeima, and the government. We are clearly aware that Ukraine’s victory is the only way to restore security on the European continent. We are and will be with you," said the Speaker of the Saeima, emphasising that President Zelenskyy’s visit to Latvia is also an important message to our people, who support Ukraine on a daily basis.
The President of Ukraine said that, despite the fact that we speak different languages, we share common values, and freedom in both of our countries means the same. President Zelenskyy thanked the people of Latvia for always being on the side of Ukraine and justice. During the terrible, bloody war, you are with us until the victory, until the end, the President of Ukraine said.
“We, Latvians, are a nation that loves our land, and we are ready for everything to protect it. We see that Ukrainian love for their homeland is equally strong. That is why I have no doubt – you will definitely win,” said Speaker Mieriņa.
Parliamentarians referred to the resilience of the Ukrainian state, the people’s strength, and the unity of the international community as key factors to achieve victory over Russia’s criminal and cowardly aggression. Among other things, the issue of the kidnapped Ukrainian children was highlighted as the most nefarious Russian crime. Latvia will continue to fight relentlessly for every kidnapped child to return to their homeland.
Ukraine has its place in the European space of freedom and justice. Both the people of Ukraine and the decision of the European Council to start negotiations on accession to the European Union speak out loudly and unequivocally, said Speaker Mieriņa, congratulating Ukraine with this historic decision. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Latvia’s accession to the European Union, and during these two decades we have accumulated a wealth of knowledge that we can share in order to make Ukraine’s path to membership of the Union easier and smoother. The delegation of the Saeima emphasised that Latvia will do everything for Ukraine to join NATO as well.
The issue of Ukrainian grain exports was also discussed, with the Latvian delegation pointing out that we in Europe have already said “no” to Russian gas and it is high time to say “no” to Russian grains as well. Parliamentarians also stressed the need to channel Russian confiscated assets to Ukraine, as well as discussed other questions of support, stressing that Russia must be held accountable for all its crimes and every victim.
The meeting with the President of Ukraine was attended by members of the Presidium of the Saeima, chairs of legislative committees, Chair of the National Security Committee of the Saeima, as well as the Chair of the Group for promoting cooperation with the Parliament of Ukraine.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/saeima/albums/72177720313970356/
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Saeima Press Service